Fort Worth Nuisance Task Force Shows Results at Problem Properties

Fort Worth's Nuisance Enforcement Task Force program, launched in January and funded for 2027, is drawing credit from city officials and neighborhood leaders for closing problem properties and reducing crime at some sites. The Central Motel on East Lancaster Avenue became the first property targeted by the NET Force program to be demolished.

The Eco Motel in the Meadowbrook area has been a long-running source of drug activity, prostitution, code violations and homicides, according to a West Meadowbrook neighborhood leader. Under the program, the Building Standards Commission declared six buildings hazardous in May, the city issued citations, and the owner is now reported to be in full compliance.

The pilot combines code compliance, police, environmental services, development services, the fire department and several other units for coordinated inspections and enforcement. Between January and May, program labor costs for departments totaled $174,849. Eco Motel recorded 509 violations and 24 citations, while Sandy Oak Apartments logged 859 violations with zero citations and is now listed for sale. SouthSide Food Mart has closed.

The city is also considering rezoning commercial, light industrial and residential parcels along East Lancaster between Beach Street and Ayers Avenue to mixed use to encourage walkable, transit-oriented redevelopment.

For owners and investors, the practical takeaway is that repeated code and criminal violations can trigger coordinated multi-department enforcement, including hazard declarations and demolition.